This invention relates to vehicles, such as pickup trucks, in which a rear wall of the vehicle passenger compartment is adaptable to provide various configurations for optionally increasing cargo space by extension into the rear passenger area or, alternatively, closing off the cargo area from the passenger compartment.
It is known in the art to provide a pickup truck having a cab portion for carrying passengers in a rear seat section behind the driver and a cargo box behind the cab portion for carrying cargo. It is also known to provide aligned openings in the cab portion and the cargo box for carrying longer loads which extend into the passenger compartment with the rear seat folded down. Currently a multi-use vehicle is available which provides a pickup truck having a rear passenger compartment convertible to a cargo area and separated from a rear pickup box by a midgate having a flexible hinged panel and window system. This vehicle is adapted to accommodate a variety of optional configurations for alternatively carrying a maximum passenger load or an extended cargo load under both covered and uncovered conditions where the cargo load is protected from or exposed to ambient external conditions. However, a modified midgate having a power actuated window and other features is desired.
The present invention provides a modified hinged midgate that has a power actuated window as well as additional features. The midgate may include a pass through opening with a closure that is openable for transferring articles between compartments separated by the midgate without requiring opening or folding down of the midgate itself. The invention features an interlock system operative to protect the window by requiring that the window be retracted before the midgate can be opened by folding down a hinged panel forming the lower portion of the midgate. Further, a mechanical interlock is provided which prevents the pass through closure panels from being opened unless the window is raised to its fully closed position. In addition, electrical interlocks prevent the window from being lowered when either pass through closure panel is in an open position. They also prevent window operation if the midgate is not securely latched.
The midgate of the invention is disclosed as applied, in an exemplary embodiment, to a multi-use convertible passenger and cargo vehicle, such as a pickup truck. However its application is not so limited but may also be extended to other types of vehicle applications where its use may be appropriate, such as for example, in an enclosed truck or van.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description of a specific embodiment of the invention taken together with the accompanying drawings.